"The Persistence of Memory," a circa oil 1931 painting by Salvador Dali. Muzeo in Anaheim advertises this image in nearly all its promotional materials, but it is not part of "Spanish Masters: Goya Picasso Dali," which runs through Jan. 6. IMAGE COURTESY OF MUZEO

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) was one of the most influential painters and printmakers of his time, bridging the style of the Old Masters with modernism.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was one of the most famous and prolific artists of the 20th century – if not of all time.

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was probably the best known surrealist, even after he broke with their ranks in 1939. He'll always be remembered as an art provocateur – and for that crazy, long moustache.

Through Jan. 6, Muzeo in Anaheim is presenting "Spanish Masters: Goya Picasso Dalí." The exhibition of prints, etchings and lithographs includes a complete set of Goya's famed "Los Caprichos," Picasso's "Etchings of Love and Desire" made mostly in 1968, and 60 authenticated hand-signed Dalí lithographs. Most of the lithographs come from the Salvador Dalí Gallery in San Juan Capistrano.

Taken all together, "Spanish Masters" is an exhaustive, occasionally repetitive and generally engaging show of prints and reproductions – which, it should be noted, are not as rare or expensive as original artworks.

GOYA

The "Los Caprichos" etchings are an early first edition organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, based in Los Angeles. According to Landau's website, this set of 80 etchings was one of four "Los Caprichos" sets acquired by the Duke of Osuna from Goya around 1799.

The provenance of these etchings appears to be well documented and very respectable. Incidentally, Cal State Fullerton's Main Art Gallery (now Begovich Gallery) exhibited this same set of "Los Caprichos" in November and December of 2008.

"Los Caprichos" literally means the whims, the fantasies, or the passing fancies. But Goya meant for these etchings to illustrate the foibles, follies and vices of human society.

The etchings really do capture Goya's social commentary, but the contemporary American viewer needs to pause and study some of them to get their deeper message. Curator Robert Flynn Johnson provides some insightful interpretations in the didactics, or text panels, as well as the official Prado Museum and "Ayala" commentaries, named after dramatist Adelardo López de Ayala.

Highlights include "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters," the most famous of the "Caprichos" images; "To Rise and To Fall," which tells a little tale of lust, fortune and failure; "They Carried Her Off!" and "They Spruce Themselves Up," which depicts goblins cutting each other's toenails.

The "Caprichos" seem to get darker and more macabre the further you get into the collection. A handful of "Caprichos" that depict witches, hobgoblins or other monsters are richly imagined and very appropriate for Halloween or Day of the Dead.

This collection of "Caprichos" also contains modern and contemporary interpretations done by Edward Hagedorn and Enrique Chagoya, respectively. One can see through their work how immensely "Los Caprichos" has influenced artists through the generations. Chagoya's 1999 version cleverly replaces Goya's owls with the silhouettes of jets and missiles.

PICASSO

"Spanish Masters" includes a selection of Picasso's "Etchings of Love and Desire" from 1968. According to the didactics, these are "rare proofs before steel facing from the artist's collection."

Steel facing is a modern technique in which etched or engraved copper plates receive a thin coat of steel in order to harden their surface and promote longevity and multiple uses. Proofs done "before steel facing" purportedly carry more expressive capacity and are more reflective of the artist's hand.

In any case, most of the etchings in this collection are of naked women and men watching them. Occasionally, we see naked men loafing about. To the 21st century American eye, they're repetitive and a tad boring.

An exception would be "Barbu au Chapeau Orne d'un Grelot" (1968), a charming portrait of a man wearing traditional European attire and a hat garnished with a bell. There are a few other standouts, but for the most part, this collection is sort of a snooze fest.

DALÍ

The liveliest, most vivid, most colorful moments in "Spanish Masters" occur within the showcase of Dalí lithographs. Most of these works come on loan from the Salvador Dalí Gallery in San Juan Capistrano. A few come from private collections, also in Orange County.

Unlike the Goya and Picasso collections, the majority of Dalí works are infused with color, offering more dynamism and depth than the black and white prints in the previous galleries. Highlights include "The Chemist" (1980), which looks like a drug-induced hallucination; "Joan of Arc" (1977-78), which, despite the French subject offers a very Spanish allusion to Don Quixote on horseback; "The Quest" (1981); "Manhattan Skyline," (1976), a photo lithograph with color that's kind of a cross between Marc Chagall and Andy Warhol; "Christ," a 1964 etching; and "Tristan and Isolde (Rowlux)" (1972), a lithograph in black and white and color that features generous doses of Rowlux, a thermoplastic film that manipulates light and creates cool visual effects.

I didn't quite know what to make of the barely reflective black mirror in the ornate frame, besides the fact that it's a typical surrealist product of the artist who did "Lobster Telephone" (1936), and it's not consistent with the rest of the show.

A side note: Muzeo is guilty of a little bit of false advertising with this exhibition. Dalí's most famous painting, "The Persistence of Memory" (1931), is featured prominently in the museum's advertising, website, bookmarks and promotional materials for "Spanish Masters." However, the iconic surrealist landscape featuring several melting clocks is nowhere to be seen in this show.

Also, many of the Dalí text panels state, "If you wish to inquire about or purchase the artwork, please contact www.DaliGallery.com." Suggesting the purchase of works at a private gallery is a no-no for nonprofit art museums, and it flies in the face of the American Alliance of Museums' "National Standards & Best Practices for U.S. Museums."

Muzeo is an official member of AAM, so the former Anaheim Museum should know better than to advertise a for-profit business in its supplemental, educational text.

Those two missteps are not reason enough to avoid Muzeo's "Spanish Masters." Check it out. But don't go searching for "The Persistence of Memory," and do not feel compelled to buy yourself a pricey print.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.